Viggo Mortensen and Fassbender in A Dangerous Method.   (Photo: Liam Daniel/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

You’ve acted in very violent films—Inglourious Basterds, 300—and both were R-rated. Meanwhile, Shame got an NC-17 for sex.
Well, absolutely.

Do you quibble with the NC-17, then?
I think it’s good. People might go see it because it’s NC-17; seems like it’s working in reverse to what they’re trying to do. But yeah, I don’t understand it, and it’s not in my job description.

Is there an irony to how the rating might make the movie seem more sexually titillating than it actually is?
It’s all good publicity, man. News is news. But like you said, I think it’s a very confusing message to be sending out as a censorship board. It’s like, “Oh, there’s a penis in this film?” Yeah, and some of us have them and most of the rest have seen them, so what’s the big deal? Women can parade around naked all the time, but the guy conveniently has his pants on. I remember my mom always complaining about that to me, saying, “This is such bullshit, it’s always the women who are naked.” So I did this one for you, Mom!

A Dangerous Method
Directed by David Cronenberg. R.

Shame
Directed by Steve McQueen. NC-17.

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